“Wilkinson’s edge – our difference – is our extensive knowledge in a constantly evolving field, a field that is full of new processes, legislation and plans. We navigate the industry changes for our clients so they don’t fall into the inevitable tax traps and trip up.”
Doug Parker may be one of Wilkinson’s newest partners, but he has been in the tax business since 1976. A designated CA and CFP, Doug also has an MBA from the University of Toronto. He was a tax partner in a regional accounting firm for 21 years before moving to Wilkinson in March of 2009.
Doug is in the unique position of being the only partner in the firm without a client base. He devotes much of his time to education and training and is a highly sought after income tax instructor. Doug has taught a number of tax courses for the Ontario School of Accountancy and the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Ontario and is a professor of tax at the University of Ottawa.
While Doug does not have his own client base, he is a specialist who helps his fellow partners solve their clients’ problems and concentrates mainly on small to medium sized businesses. “Where I am most often involved,” Doug indicates “is in succession planning, the purchase and sale of businesses and working through compliance and national and international tax issues with the Canadian Revenue Agency.”
Most accounting clients would consider tax savings the most valuable service a firm could provide and Doug regularly finds himself at odds with the Canadian Revenue Agency on behalf of Wilkinson clients. Luckily, for the numerous businesses and individuals who have saved money through his tax expertise, he has never lost his enthusiasm for being a champion for his clients. As Doug points out, helping clients reduce the taxes they pay so they can preserve and grow their wealth is something worth fighting for.